How Should Cardboard Baffles Be Installed in an Attic Area When Blowing In Cellulose Insulation?

Insulation baffles keep the attic soffit vents open.

Allowing cold air into your attic during the winter may seem counterintuitive, but venting is necessary to control moisture. Adding loose-fill cellulose insulation to the attic floor is an effective way to prevent that cold air from entering your house, and installing it is a job you can do yourself. An important consideration, however, is to keep insulation away from the soffit vents at the point where the roof and floor meet. You can purchase inexpensive cardboard baffles for this purpose. When properly installed, they provide an airway along the bottom of the roof deck.

1

Purchase cardboard baffles that fit snugly between the roof trusses.

2

Hold a baffle against the underside of the roof deck, between a pair of trusses that border a soffit vent. The vent is installed in the attic floor at the point where the floor and roof meet.

3

Fold the front of the baffle downward and push the baffle toward the soffit vent until the folded-down front touches the floor. You shouldn't be able to see the vent.

4

Staple the sides of the baffle to the roof deck, using a staple gun. Alternatively, if the baffle is wide enough, staple it to the trusses. Staple the fold in the front of the baffle to the floor.

Things You Will Need

Staple gun

Staples

Tips

Once the baffle is in place, you should be able to fill the area with insulation, stuffing as much as you want against the baffle. Check the underside of the vent, however. If you see insulation, remove the baffle and clear the insulation. Replace the baffle and put a block of hard foam insulation in front of the vent before you spread more loose-fill.

Cardboard baffles are available in 4-foot lengths and widths of 14 1/2 or 22 1/2 inches.

About the Author

A love of fundamental mysteries led Chris Deziel to obtain a bachelor's degree in physics and a master's degree in humanities. A prolific carpenter, home renovator and furniture restorer, Deziel has been active in the building and home design trades since 1975. As a landscape builder, he helped establish two gardening companies.